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Queens and Kings

The 'glorious' instant Sunday Times bestselling history of the monarchy from one of our best loved historians

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Queens and Kings

By: Lucy Worsley
Narrated by: Lucy Worsley
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The wildly engaging new history of the British monarchy from bestselling historian Lucy Worsley.

'Fabulously enjoyable... a great big treat of a book.' SUNDAY TIMES
'Filled with nuggets of historical delights... highly readable and thoughtfully curated.' DAILY MAIL
'A glorious, glorious book, full of brilliant detail and behind-the-scenes wit and humour.' KATE MOSSE

When it comes to royal history, Lucy Worsley holds all the cards

Lucy Worsley has lived and breathed royal history for more than twenty years. As Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, she worked in some of Britain's most famous royal sites, from Hampton Court to the Tower of London, and even lived in one of them herself. Now she takes us behind closed doors to reveal some of the monarchy's best-kept secrets.

In Queens and Kings, Lucy brings to life the rulers who have shaped Britain over the last thousand years, from Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II. What emerges is a royal world far stranger, funnier and more surprising than we might think: of intimate love letters, phantom pregnancies, unruly pet monkeys and fatal betrayals. Venturing through haunted staircases and into private bedchambers, she finds the details that make history feel gloriously human.

With her trademark warmth and incisive scholarship, Lucy explores the full splendour, scandal and sorrow of royal life. The result is a wildly engaging history of the monarchy from one of our most beloved historians.

'A history of the British monarchy that only Lucy Worsley could have written.' TOM HOLLAND

'Warm, insightful, and full of heart, Worsley has distilled a lifetime of experience into this crowning achievement of a book.' HALLIE RUBENHOLD

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Queens and Kings was a Sunday Times bestseller in the w/c 07-09-2026.©2026 Lucy Worsley (P)2026 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Europe Great Britain Historical Monarchy Politics & Activism Royalty Heartfelt England Haunted
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Critic reviews

Fabulously enjoyable... Worsley takes us behind the red velvet rope to reveal those hidden parts of her kingdom that the public never get to see. The stories come thick and fast... Queens and Kings is a great big treat of a book, written in Worsley's easy prose and informed by her very real scholarship. It is doubtless aimed at the Christmas market... but it is far more than a seasonal gift book.
'Lucy's Worsley's fantastic new book is filled with such nuggets of historical delights...This highly readable and thoughtfully curated history is a testament to Worsley's skill as a communicator, and to the fact that history is never as straightforward as it might seem'
Rich in fascinating detail and told with warmth, wit and enthusiasm, this is an engaging, accessible history that makes even the most complicated royal family trees easy to follow
An engaging and unexpectedly funny romp through the monarchs who lived and died in the five palaces that Worsley oversaw in her 21 years as chief curator of Historic Royal Palaces
What a glorious, glorious book, full of brilliant detail and behind-the-scenes wit and humour. Her scholarship, passion for her subject and deep knowledge is lightly worn - this is history writing at its best. So moreish, I read it in one glorious sitting. (KATE MOSSE)
A history of the British monarchy that only Lucy Worsley could have written: as puckish as it is scholarly, and informed throughout by the experience of having actually lived in a palace. (TOM HOLLAND)
Queens and Kings is history with a uniquely personal touch. Warm, insightful, and full of heart, Worsley has distilled a lifetime of experience into this crowning achievement of a book. (HALLIE RUBENHOLD)
Lucy Worsley is our National Treasure, the Jewel in our royal crown. In this delightful book she traces the story of our royal dynasties and relives her time at Hampton Court, Kensington Palace and the Tower of London. A real gem. (A.N. WILSON)
All stars
Most relevant
This book is amazing. Lucy’s life work at the palace was so interesting. Her writing and narration had me totally hooked. I loved it. I will certainly listen again. Thank you Lucy x

Lucy’s on fire!

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I love Lucy and this is a nice take on the old story. But it does contain some silly mistakes. It says that Lambert Simnel came after Perkin Warbeck. And describes Thomas More as “another Protestant hero”. Lucy surely knows better and yet she has read this out loud…?

Good but contains silly mistakes

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Such an interesting book. Loved all the history! Read by the author who did a great job of bringing alive her stories and facts

Fascinating book

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This is one of the most engaging audiobooks I’ve ever listened to! As a historian myself, I know many of the stories captured. However, the way the book is narrated, the descriptions, and first person experiences, bring a lighter way to enjoy these accounts without losing the vital details. I listen to audiobooks as I fall asleep. I set a timer and simply continue on from where the timer finished the night before. With this book, I was rewinding back to the point I remembered getting to the night before to ensure I didn’t miss a word!

So Engaging!!

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Lucv Worslev has narrated her book in her own distinctive style. Because she spent 21 years as Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces she is able to relate personal annecdotes to her recounts of the British monarchy over the centuries so that its both fun and accurately detailed I loved her warm, cheery manner - she certainly knows her stuff!

Entertaining and Informative

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